Itron and Cisco Selected to Help LADWP with Smart Grid Project

The United States' largest municipal utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), today chose both Cisco (News - Alert) and Itron, a global technology company, to help its smart grid demonstration project.

Supported by U.S. Department of Energy ARRA funding, the project will allow Los Angeles to evaluate technology and program benefits to support its ongoing grid modernization and infrastructure improvements.

As part of this project, 52,000 Itron smart electric meters and 20 smart water modules will be installed by the LADWP, operating over an integrated cellular and multi application IPv6 communication network based on Cisco's GridBlocks architecture.

This architecture will also use Cisco Connected Grid routers and Network Management System.

With this, the LADWP, in partnership with Cisco Services, will be able to deploy a secure, scalable communications infrastructure, with installation scheduled to be finished by fall 2013.

“We look forward to working with Itron, Cisco and other developers as part of our demonstration project to prove the viability and evaluate the benefits of smart grid and smart water technologies for both DWP and our customers,” said Aram Benyamin, senior assistant general manager, Power System at LADWP.

This project will ultimately lead to increased energy efficiency and grid reliability, improved water resource management, and new programs and services. Furthermore, it will create a foundation for integrating electric vehicles onto the grid, while enabling the evaluation of technology capable of detecting and restoring power outages more quickly.

“LADWP is a truly visionary utility and we are excited to support their smart grid demonstration project,” said Philip Mezey, president and COO at Itron Energy. “With Itron’s smart grid solution, LADWP could have a technology platform in place to manage the delivery and use of energy and water resources and build a more sustainable future.”

Itron is no stranger to the utilities game, as the company recently launched Nexergy, a portfolio of five distinct ecosystem architectures which combines meters, communication technology and software to meet specific business needs.